Monitoring and controlling electrostatic discharge or ESD is an important function in electronics manufacturing, since uncontrolled discharge may seriously damage ESD-sensitive components. Damage often occurs at a microscopic level, such that the actual damage to a component may only be discovered in testing after manufacture, or after premature failure experienced by an end user.
Various ESD management devices, such as ESD monitoring devices and ESD protection devices, are available to help manage the risk of ESD during manufacturing and assembly of sensitive electronic components and devices. For example, an ESD monitoring device may monitor environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity, and may trigger an alarm if these conditions fall outside a preferred operating range. An ESD protection device may include, for example, an ionization bar for neutralizing static charge in the vicinity of an electronics assembly station. Another example of an ESD protection device is a wrist strap that may be used for electrically grounding an operator who may touch sensitive electronic components and devices during assembly.
Despite available ESD management devices, a manufacturing process may still produce faulty or damaged products if the ESD risk is not effectively managed at every station along an assembly line. While existing ESD monitoring devices and ESD protection devices may be designed to individually provide appropriate warnings, these warnings may not be properly acted upon unless they are quickly brought to the attention of appropriate personnel such as an ESD specialist. This may result in significant delays in recognizing critical ESD problems and stopping ESD damage to electronic components and printed circuit board (PCB) assemblies. Often, the damage is irreparable, and an entire batch of products may have to be scrapped for quality control purposes, at significant cost. Thus, improved systems and methods are needed.